Holding device for shoe-uppers.



NO. s5o.ss4. PATBNTED Anus, 190v.

' J. s. HANSEN.

JHOLDING DEVIGE FOR SHOE UPPERS.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 9. 1906.

M/UNQS'SES.

with i. HMWL UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

JOHN S. HANSEN, OF BROCKTON,

MILLER TREEIN G MACHINE CORPORATION OF MAINE.

HOLDING DEVICE FOR SHOE-UPPERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Original application filed February 1,1905, Serial No. 243,690. Divided and this application liled April 9, 1 9 06. Serial No. 810,75 9- T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHNS. HANSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Holding Devices for Shoe-Uppers, of. which the following description, in connection'with the accompanying drawings, is a specification,

like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to means for holding the leg portion of a shoe upon a shoe tree or similar form, and is herein shown as embodied in means for holding the quarters of a shoe snugly about a tree in position for the shoeto be operated upon in cleaning or in finishing the shoe.

. sizes.

It is the practice to use upon treeing and the like machines shoe-trees which comprise a single leg portion and a plurality of interchangeable feet adapted in size to the different sizes of aline of shoes. For example,- a single tree-leg will be used with the necessary number of tree-feet for the sizes 6-11 of mens shoes and another tree-leg will be employed with all the different tree-feet required for the sizes lit-5% of youths and boys shoes.

It is very desirable that the holder which is employed for holding the leg portion or quarters of the shoe about the leg of the holder be adapted to act approximately uniformly in holding the uppers of the different sizes of shoes which are usually supported upon a particular tree-leg.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention the holder is arranged to be permanently attached to a tree-leg and is extensible to adapt it to hold all the different sizes of shoes usually applied to one tree.

The holder is arranged to act yieldingly for pulling the upper obliquely upward and forward on the tree to draw out all the wrinkles and hold the upper smoothly and firmly in position to be operated upon.

In accordance with another feature of the invention the holder is constructed so that without adjustment it will act with approximately the same tension upon varying sizes of shoes.

These features of the invention are herein shown as embodied in a construction comprising a supporting member, 'a block, levers fulcrumed upon the block and extending downward and forward with relation to the shoe on the tree, hooks pivoted to the outer ends of the levers and extending downward and rearward to the flies of the shoe, and

springs arranged to rock the levers in a direction to cause the hooks to pull the shoe-upper forward and upward. The springs are shown as extending obliquely from fixed points located above and in front of the fulcrum of the levers to a connection with the levers near their outer ends. The relative arrangement is such that the levers and hooks form diverging arms, which may be spread more or less to adapt the length of the holder to different sizes of shoes. The arrangement of the springs, which reach from above the fulcrums of the levers to a connection with the levers, is such that the tension of the springs is changed but little as the holder is extended more or less for shoes of different sizes. Preferably stop-faces are provided to limit the 'movement of the levers away from the treefoot, and by means of these faces the position of the levers is determined when the hooks are disengaged from the shoe. The stopfaces serve to hold the two levers in position to be grasped simultaneously and rocked toward the shoe by one hand of the'workman, while with the other hand he engages the hooks with the shoe. He may then so release the levers as to cause the leg portion of the shoe-upper to be evenly pulled into position about the tree-leg. Preferably, also,

means is provided for controlling the lateral positions of the levers and hooks so that the planes in which the pulling movement takes place are substantially uniform on different shoes and loose movement of the parts when disengaged from a shoe is prevented. These and other features of the invention, including certain details of constructions and combinations of parts, will be fully set forth in the following description and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective shoe.

view of a tree with a shoe thereon and a shoeholder embodying the present invention arranged in operative position with relation to the tree and engaged with the uppermost lacing-hook on each of the quarters of the shoe. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the holder and shows in full and dotted lines the positions assumed by the holder when applied to shoes of different sizes. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the holder, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a slightlymodified construction.

The tree may be of any usual or'suitable construction. Such trees commonly comprise a leg portion 1, permanently attached to the machine or tree-support, and the foot 2, which is readily removable from the leg portion. In practice a plurality of feet are furnished with each tree-leg, and a foot of the same size as the shoe to be treated is attached to the leg before the shoe is put upon the tree. The holder is shown as comprising a bracket 4, permanently attached to the treeleg and having a split clamp for receiving the stem 6 of the supporting member. The supporting member. is shown as comprising a block 8, triangular in cross-section and provided with recesses 10 in its inclined face nearest the foot of the tree to receive one portion of two levers 12. The levers are fulcrumed to the block at 14 and at their other ends are pivotally connected to the links 15, havng hooks 16 at their outer ends adapted to engage with lacing hooks or eyelets in the flies of the quarters of a shoe. The levers 12 extend from the rear side of the supporting member forward and downward with relation to the shoe, and the links 15 extend rearward and downward toward the shoe, so that said levers and links constitute diverging arms pivotally connected at one of their ends and the other ends of which may be spread more or less for adapting the holder to engage shoesof different sizes upon the tree. Springs 18 are shown as extending from points 20 on the stem of the holder to points near the ends of the links 12. This arrangement of the springs 18 causes them to extend forward of the points where the levers are fulcrumed to the block 8, and therefore tend to rock the levers upward and forward. The block is provided with stop-faces 22, which limit this movement of the levers, and, as shown, these faces are lo cated so that the levers will be stopped and normally held in positions adjacent to each other where a Workman may conveniently engage them both with one hand and rock them downward toward the shoe, while with the other hand he connects the hooks 16 with the lacing hooks or eyelets in the flies of the It is to be observed that the side faces of the recesses 10, in which the'levers are mounted, form guides to prevent the lateral movement of the levers and also that the pivotal connections between the links and the levers prevent loose lateral movement of the hooks. This arrangement insures that the levers will operate always in substantially the same plane for pulling and holding the quarters of the shoe-upper about the leg of the tree. It will be observed that while the holder may be differently positioned longitudinally of the tree by moving the stem of the supporting member in the clamp of the bracket 4 such adjustment will not ordinarily be necessary for adapting the holder to engage shoes of the varying sizes usually applied to a single tree, because the peculiar arrangement of the links and hooks renders the holder sufiiciently extensible to enable it to act properly upon shoes of different sizes, as indicated in Fig. 2. It will be seen by referring to Fig. 2 that the spring 18 is very slightly lengthened as the levers and hooks are relatively moved for extending the holder more or less, and therefore the holder acts with approximately the same tension upon shoes of different sizes.

In the construction of holder shown in Fig. 4 the stop-faces 10 are approximately vertical, so that the levers assume a vertical position when the hooks are disengaged from the shoe and the hook-links swing by gravity into a position adjacent to and parallel with the levers, where they are entirely out of the way of the workman during the operations of removing a shoe and placing another one on the tree. The hook-links may be provided with fingenpieces 222, as shown in Fig. 4, for convenience in manipulating them.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, it is believed that the nature of the invention has been fully disclosed and that it will be obvious that the invention may be embodied in widely-different mechanical forms.

I therefore claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supporting member, of a lever fulcrumed on said supporting member, a hook flexibly connected with the lever and adapted to engage a shoe-upper, and a spring arranged to rock the lever in the direction to pull the shoe-upper forward and upward.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supporting member, of a pair of levers fulcrumed on said member and carrying hooks adapted to' engage a shoe-upper, and tension-springs extending obliquely with relation to said levers to rock said levers in a direction for pulling the shoe-upper.

3. In a device of the class descrlbed, the combination with a supporting member, of a pair of independently-movable levers fulcrumed onsaid supporting member and provided with hooks to engage a shoe-upper,

. yielding means for rocking said levers away from the shoe, and stops for limiting said rocking movement and holding said levers in predetermined position adjacent to one another. a

4:. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supporting member, of a pair of independently-movable levers fulcrumed on said supporting member, and hooks carried by the levers and adapted to engage opposite quarters of a shoe, said device having provision for causing the levers and hooks to pull thequarters of the shoe always in substantially the same planes.

5. In a holder of the class described, the combination with a supporting member, of levers fulcrumed on said supporting member, hooks carried by the levers, springs arranged to hold the levers normally in a position inclined to the supporting member and adapted to permit said levers to occupy positions of different inclination to the supporting member whereby the holder may be extended for engaging shoes of different sizes.

6-. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supporting member, of a lever fulcrumed on said supporting member, a hook pivotally connected with the lever and adapted to engage a shoe-upper, a spring arranged to rock the lever in the direction to pull the shoe-upper forward and upward, and a stop arranged to cooperate with the spring for positioning the lever approximately vertically when the hook is disengaged from the shoe-upper.

7. The combination with a tree adapted to support a shoe, of means for holding the shoe in position thereon, said means comprising a supporting member, levers fulcrumed upon said member, hooks carried by the outer ends of the levers and adapted to engage lacing hooks or eyelets in the upper, and means acting on said levers for normally eXertin tension upwardly and forwardly on the 1100 s.

8. The combination with a tree adapted to support a shoe, of means for holding the shoe in position thereon, said means comprising a supporting member, levers pivotally jointed to said supporting member, hooks connected to the outer ends of said levers and adapted to engage the shoe-upper, said levers normally standing at an angle to the supporting member, and springs connecting the supporting member and levers and tending further to flex the joint between the levers and supporting member for causing the levers to exert tension forwardly and upwardly on the shoe-upper.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in, the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOHN S. HANSEN. Witnesses: F. HANNIGAN,

J. F. CoLLiNs. 

